Dec 1, 2025
Dan Latham
A burst pipe does not care about your opening hours. A furnace does not decide to break down only between 9 AM and 5 PM.
In the home services industry, speed is the only metric that matters.
If a customer has water leaking through their ceiling at 11 PM, they do not fill out a contact form and wait 24 hours. They call the first number on Google. If nobody answers, they call the second.
If you are a plumber or HVAC technician, every unanswered night call is money you just handed to your competitor.
Here is how AI agents are solving the "After-Hours" problem for tradespeople, turning missed calls into booked emergency jobs.
1. The "Emergency Premium"
Customers are price sensitive during the day. They shop around for quotes.
But at night? They are panic sensitive.
If you are the only business that replies instantly at 10:30 PM, you win the job. You can charge your emergency call-out rate because you provided the immediate reassurance they needed.
An AI agent acts as your 24/7 dispatcher. It answers instantly: "I'm sorry to hear about the leak. Is the water currently causing damage, or is this for a routine repair?"
It secures the customer emotionally before you even wake up.
2. Stop Wasting Ad Spend
Most tradespeople pay a fortune for Google Ads or Local Service Ads. In competitive cities, a single click can cost £20 to £50.
If you run ads 24/7 but only answer the phone 9-5, you are setting money on fire.
You are paying for clicks that land on a silent website. An AI agent ensures that every single pound of ad spend has a chance to convert, regardless of the time.
3. The Triage: Emergency vs. Routine
The biggest fear tradespeople have is their phone buzzing at 3 AM for a non-emergency.
"My tap is dripping slightly, can you come next week?" You do not want to wake up for that.
The AI agent filters the noise.
Scenario A (Routine): "No problem. I can book you in for a standard service next Tuesday. Here is the link."
Scenario B (Emergency): "Understood. Since water is entering the property, this is an emergency. Please call our emergency engineer line immediately."
The AI handles the diary management for the small stuff and only escalates the true emergencies.
4. The ROI Math
This is the easiest math to sell in the world.
Cost of one Emergency Boiler Repair: £300 to £800.
Cost of Kuga Agent: £199/month.
If the agent catches one single after-hours job in a month, the software is free. If it catches one a week, it is the most profitable tool in the van.
Summary
You invest thousands in your tools, your van, and your training. Do not let your business fail because of a silent phone.
An AI agent is the cheapest "night shift" employee you will ever hire.
The Agency Play (How to Sell This)
Target: Emergency Trades (Plumbers, Locksmiths, HVAC, Electricians, Glaziers).
The Pitch: "I will stop you missing the expensive jobs while you sleep."
The Kuga Setup (The Magic Trick): This is where Kuga wins the client in 2 minutes. You don't need to write complex code.
The Instant Build:
Go to Kuga.
Paste the Plumber’s website URL.
Done. Kuga automatically scrapes their site, learns their services ("Boiler Repair", "Leak Detection"), learns their prices, and writes the initial prompt for you.
Web Sync:
The agent already knows everything on their site. If they have an "Emergency Pricing" page, the agent already knows it.
The "Emergency" Workflow:
In the Kuga dashboard, you can add a simple instruction (Workflow).
Example: "If the user mentions a leak, flood, or emergency, create a Contact Request marked as High Priority."
This ensures the lead details are instantly captured in your dashboard and emailed to the plumber.
The Close: Send them the unbranded preview link. Tell them: "I just pasted your website into my system. Try asking it about a boiler repair. It already knows your prices." They will be blown away that you "trained" it so fast (when Kuga actually did the work).